ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the national pandemic response body, the NCOC, said on Monday it was “impossible” for Pakistan to block the Omicron coronavirus variant from entering the country and the only protection against it was to increase vaccinations.
The detection of Omicron has triggered global alarm as governments around the world scrambled to impose new travel curbs and financial markets sold-off, fearing the variant could resist vaccinations and upend a nascent economic reopening after a two-year global pandemic.
In its statement, the WHO said it was working with technical experts to understand the potential impact of the variant on existing countermeasures against COVID-19, including vaccines.
Addressing a press conference alongside Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan, Umar stressed the need for citizens to get vaccinated, saying the government would take new measures to protect against the Omicron variant. These include increased testing in high risk areas, and the launch of a booster shot program for high-risk segments of the population such as the elderly and the immunocompromised.
On Saturday, Pakistan banned travel from six South African countries and Hong Kong following the emergence of the new coronavirus variant.
“We can take measures to delay the entry into Pakistan of this variant, we can reduce its numbers, but it will spread all around the world,” Umar said. “As we saw before, once a new variant comes, the world is so interconnected, there is so much travel, that it is impossible to stop it. So what is the solution, what is in our hands? The answer is vaccination.”
“This is a very dangerous variant but vaccination will still be effective against it,” the minister said. "So it is my appeal to Pakistanis, particularly those who've gotten one dose, to get the second dose.”
"This variant will come to Pakistan, and we have the next 2-3 weeks to reduce its threat,” Umar added.
The Omicron variant spread around the world last week, with new cases found in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia even as more countries imposed travel restrictions to try to seal themselves off.
WHO has said it was not yet clear whether Omicron, first detected in Southern Africa, is more transmissible than other variants, or if it causes more severe disease.
‘Impossible’ to stop Omicron variant from entering Pakistan – planning minister
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‘Impossible’ to stop Omicron variant from entering Pakistan – planning minister
- Pakistan to increase testing in high risk areas, launch booster shot program for high-risk segments of population
- Detection of Omicron has triggered global alarm as governments world over scrambled to impose new travel curbs
Pakistan calls for sustainable interventions, strengthening health systems on World AIDS Day
- Around 88.4 million people in total have been affected HIV worldwide, says World Health Organization
- Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif resolves to expand access to essential health care services to all Pakistani citizens
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for strengthening health systems throughout the country and for sustainable interventions as the international community marks World AIDS Day today, Sunday.
Every year on Dec. 1, the international community marks World AIDS Day to unite people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The day is marked to show strength and solidarity against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and to remember the lives lost to the disease.
HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 cells (CD4 T lymphocyte) of the immune system while AIDS is its most advanced form. People with HIV who are not on medication and do not have consistent control of their HIV can transmit it through sexual intercourse, sharing of needles, pregnancy and breastfeeding. If HIV is controlled, the risk of transmission is close to zero.
“By working together, we will continue to strengthen our health systems and expand access to essential services for our citizens,” Sharif said in a statement.
The Pakistani premier noted that HIV/AIDS remains a global health challenge and a significant socio-economic issue that threatens livelihoods, disrupts families and deepens inequalities.
“Despite our collective efforts, the HIV epidemic in Pakistan continues to grow, underscoring the need for bold, innovative, and sustainable interventions,” Sharif noted. “It is only through the strategy rooted in equality and inclusion that we can halt the spread of HIV.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 88.4 million people have been infected with the HIV virus since the beginning of the epidemic and about 42.3 million people have died of HIV in total.
Globally, 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023. An estimated 0.6 percent of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions.
Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests
- Khan’s party shares death certificates allegedly of three supporters which says they were killed by gunshots
- Ishaq Dar urges PTI to provide “graves” and “dead bodies” to prove claims, accuses protesters of being violent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week denied allegations the government had shot dead Imran Khan’s supporters in recent protests, as the former premier’s party alleged three of them were shot dead by law enforcers.
The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters were killed in this week’s clashes with law enforcers as thousands of Khan supporters marched toward Pakistan’s federal capital demanding Khan’s release from prison. The government rejects this and says four paramilitary personnel and a cop were killed by protesters.
On Saturday, the party shared the death certificates of three of its alleged supporters, Sardar Ali, Anees Shahzad Satii and Malik Mubeen, which said they were killed by gunshots. The certificates were prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Government Services Hospital in Islamabad.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday strongly refuted allegations of state brutality and indiscriminate firing by law enforcement authorities during recent clashes with protesters,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Dar described claims that Khan supporters suffered gunshot wounds and were subjected to unwarranted violence as “malicious” and “absolutely false,” urging them to provide evidence such as “graves and dead bodies” to substantiate the accusations.
The deputy premier said protesters came to the capital armed with heavy ammunition and tear gas canisters.
“The mob was determined to create chaos and ready to kill,” he was quoted as saying by the APP. “Our security and law enforcement agencies exercised maximum restraint with patience despite deaths within their ranks.”
The protest was called off after security forces raided the D-Chowk protest site in complete darkness soon after midnight on Wednesday, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, according to police and government officials who deny using live ammunition during the operation.
Rawalpindi police said this week that over 170 cops were injured in the protests and that police have arrested over 1,150 for clashing with law enforcers.
Pakistan to lock horns with Zimbabwe in first T20I in Bulawayo today
- Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series 2-1 last month
- Salman Agha to lead Pakistan as Pakistan rest regular skipper Rizwan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will lock horns with Zimbabwe in the first of a three-match T20I series in Bulawayo today, Sunday, state-run media said, after completing a 2-1 ODI series victory over the hosts this week.
After losing the first ODI against Zimbabwe last month, Pakistan beat the hosts by convincing margins in the second and third ODIs in Bulawayo.
Skipper Salman Agha will lead his side in the T20 fixture against Zimbabwe on Sunday, with the next two matches to follow on Dec. 3 and 5.
“The first T20I match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe will start at 1:30 p.m. local time on Sunday,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Saturday.
Pakistan announced late Friday that they were adding Saim Ayub, Aamer Jamal and Abrar Ahmed from the ODI squad into the T20I series following impressive showings over the past week.
The green shirts have rested Babar Azam, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi from the tour while white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan is also not part of the T20Is, with Agha taking his place as captain.
The match is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
Pakistan hikes petrol price by Rs3.72 per liter for next fortnight
- Government increases price after variations in petroleum products’ prices in international market, says Finance Division
- Pakistan revises petroleum prices every fortnight, which is also a key factor in increasing or reducing inflation in the country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has increased the price of petrol for the next fortnight by Rs3.72 per liter due to varying prices of petroleum products in the international market, the Finance Division said this week.
Pakistan revises petroleum prices every fortnight. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers in Pakistan while any increase in the price of diesel is considered highly inflationary as it is mostly used to power heavy transport vehicles and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
The price of petrol has increased from Rs248.38 per liter to Rs252.10 per liter after the Rs3.72 hike, the Finance Division said.
“The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has worked out the consumer prices of petroleum products, based on the price variation in the international market,” it said on Saturday.
According to the notification, the price of high-speed diesel has seen an increase of Rs3.29 per liter, raising its price to Rs258.43 per liter.
Meanwhile, the price of kerosene oil has been reduced by Rs. 0.62 per liter, which means it is now being sold for Rs164.98. The price of light diesel oil has also seen a reduction of Rs0.48 per liter, lowering it to Rs151.73.
Fuel prices in energy-starved Pakistan are instrumental in contributing to inflation. The South Asian country saw inflation reach a record high of 38 percent in May 2023.
Pakistan’s finance ministry said this week that inflation, which was clocked at 7.2 percent in October, is expected to slow to 5.8-6.8 percent in November.
Over 50 heritage automobiles draw crowds at vintage car show in Pakistan’s Peshawar
- The event, organized by KP’s Culture and Tourism Authority, has attracted car enthusiasts and families
- The top tourism official promises more effort in future events, plans to expand them to historical sites
PESHAWAR: Over 50 heritage automobiles from 1935 to 1980 were displayed at the 15th Vintage and Classic Car Show at the Peshawar Services Club on Saturday, drawing car enthusiasts and their families to attend the event.
The show, arranged by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) in collaboration with Classic Land Rover, featured prized vehicles from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Peshawar and other cities.
Visitors were also immersed in local culture through captivating performances of the traditional Khattak dance, known for its energetic movements and sword displays, and the soulful melodies of the rubab, a centuries-old stringed instrument native to the region.
“More effort will be made to organize similar events,” KPCTA Director General Tashfeen Haider said, according to an official statement. “The exhibitions would be expanded to historical sites in the future.”
Vehicles on display included iconic brands like Mercedes, Jaguar, Ford, Chevrolet, Mini, Land Rover, Mustang, Porsche, vintage Vespa motorcycles and more.
Haider said the show aimed to promote Peshawar as a hub of culture and tourism.
Participants and attendees praised the organizers for bringing such an event to Peshawar.
“The goal of the rally and car show is to send a message of peace from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to make Peshawar once again a city of flowers and joy,” the KPCTA official said, referring to KP’s provincial capital that witnessed militant violence for over two decades.
The official statement informed the participants of the show would drive their vintage vehicles to Swabi after the Peshawar exhibition to join the 12th Indus River Cross Jeep Race at the historic Hund point at the Indus River after passing through the Balahissar Fort.
Subsequently, they will continue through Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Moro and the Thar Desert before reaching Karachi.
